ORGANISERS of the Tour de France’s Grand Depart will enlist an army of volunteers to help the event run smoothly when it comes to Yorkshire in 2014.

Welcome to Yorkshire is recruiting “Le Tour Makers” - inspired by the thousands of Games Makers who provided much of the manpower at last summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games - to assist when the world's largest cycling event comes to the county. 

Gary Verity, chief executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said: “The Games Makers were a huge success in London 2012 so we are looking to emulate and build on that when the eyes of the world are on Yorkshire in 2014.

“We are looking for a team of passionate volunteers who will help us to create the best ever Grand Depart in the history of the Tour de France.”

Around 70,000 Games Maker volunteers worked for a total of 8m hours at the Olympic Park last summer doing everything from welcoming visitors, checking tickets and stewarding events.

It has yet to be confirmed how many volunteers will be recruited for the Grand Depart and what their responsibilities will be.

More than a million spectators are expected to flock to Yorkshire in July 2014 to watch as the biggest names in cycling race along the region’s roads.

And a global TV audience of more than two billion viewers will also be watching, it is predicted.

Clinching the Grand Depart has been described as Yorkshire’s “biggest ever sporting coup”.

Leeds is to be the official host city and starting line for the event after a hard-fought bid by Welcome To Yorkshire with support from local authorities across the region.

More details about the Grand Depart are to be announced on Thursday, January 17.

Anyone interested in becoming a Le Tour Maker can register their interest at www.yorkshire.com/volunteer.